The present invention relates to the prevention of water pipe freeze-up in a dwelling.
During cold weather conditions, it is possible for one or more water pipes in a dwelling to freeze and then burst, whereby expensive repairs to the pipes and the dwelling itself may be required.
In moderate climates where the minimum outside temperature only rarely extends below freezing, dwellings might not be provided with an indoor valve for shutting-off the supply of water to an outdoor faucet. In such a case, the risk of freezing can be avoided by placing on the outdoor faucet an automatically actuable valve unit which senses the temperature of water at the faucet and opens to emit a water flow whenever the temperature approaches the freezing point. In this way, warmer ground water from within the dwelling will reach the faucet, whereupon the temperature sensor will cause the valve unit to close. Accordingly, the valve unit will open and close periodically during periods of cold weather, in order to prevent the water from freezing at the faucet. A temperature sensitive valve unit of this type is disclosed for example in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,038 issued Apr. 14, 1987, and can be purchased from KDL Technologies, P.O. Box 1375, Alachua, Fla. 32615 under the name FREEZE/GUARD.TM..
While the use of such a temperature sensitive valve unit successfully functions to prevent pipe freeze-up in moderate climates, it may not be as successful in colder climates. That is, in colder climates (e.g., where the ground water temperature can be expected to fall below 42.degree. F.), the water temperature within certain pipes within the dwelling may fall below freezing despite the use of a temperature sensitive valve unit. While this can happen in the case of dwellings which are occupied, it is especially problematic in the case of homes which are unoccupied during the winter. In the latter case, it is necessary to drain the water pipes which is a time-consuming and often difficult procedure.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to prevent water pipe freeze-up in any climate, even in the case of unoccupied dwellings in cold climates.